Egypt 2007

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Glenn's Egypt Holiday Journal November 2007:

This year's holiday was chosen and booked within 2 weeks of going. I went to Egypt for an adventure holiday group type tour. I could have been a bit better prepared and equipped (I had 2 days to sort everything after a weekend in Whitby!) but it was amazing fun and I met some absolutely brilliant people (mostly Australians and Kiwis!!) ...

Nov 1st:

After giving a mate a lift to the doctors and having lunch I took the train to Manchester airport. Fly to Frankfurt and then fly onto Cairo. Met at Airport by rep, get Visa and driven by Minibus to Hotel and arrive at 5am Egyptian time.

Nov 2nd: Cairo:

Up at 9am! I get breakfast and then go to supermarket for water and immediately meet a bit of a hustler. No idea what he's selling but chat politely. The hotel has quite a few tourism police around brandishing AK47s. How exciting! I then wander around streets of Cairo, I meet another Hawker then walk up to the Nile and then back to Hotel to chill. Meet the tour group at 6.30 and our tour leader, Hussan. I'm moved room with room mate Murray. Then the group goes out to buy kebabs.

Click on the thumbnail image for a larger one!!

View from my Hotel window of Cairo.	View from the Hotel roof. Note the satellite dish on every roof!

The King hotel roof and Cairo view beyond.

Nov 3rd: Pyramids of Giza:

Breakfast and then a minibus trip to the Pyramids of Giza. Go into a Pyramid, which is like a sauna with no air. Minibus goes up to the plateau for picture taking then onto the Sphinx which is packed with thousands of tourists. Then onto Papyrus institute where they try and sell expensive papyrus to us. Takeaway lunch and then bus back to Hotel. Go to Bazaar in afternoon. Avoid hassling stall holders and go to cafe. Back to hotel for group dinner then onto overnight train to Luxor. Train on "Egyptian time" so 45 minutes late.

Intrepid me and a pyramid.	They really are big..
Pyramid and the sphinx and thousands of tourists.	Pyramids from the plateau and Giza in the smog in the distance!
The Bazaar

Nov 4th: Luxor and Karnac:

I sort of sleep on 9 hour train trip, arrive at 8am. Minibus to hotel and crash out. Go to hotel roof for some pics and then walk along side of Nile and see Luxor temple from road. Get lunch at a Nile side bar. Then horse and cart ride to Karnac. Immense temple. Tour is great then get ice cream. Horse and cart back. Feel rather dazed and tired at this point. See naff jewelry shop then walk back to hotel. Change then get rickety ferry at night to West Bank of Nile for dinner in a great little Egyptian restaurant. Ferry back to East bank to hotel for early night.

Luxor from the hotel roof.	Luxor temple from the road. No horn sign ignored by all the drivers.
Karnac
	Me in a horse and carriage

Nov 5th: Hot Air Balloon and Valley of the kings:

Up at 4am! Minibus to ferry. Coffee on ferry. Onto West Bank and get a minibus ride to Hot air balloons. 40 minute hot air balloon ride over Egypt. Amazing. Perfect landing then minibus onto some donkeys! Donkey ride to Valley of the Kings. Go into 3 tombs. Minibus to ferry and ferry back to East bank and then to hotel. Pack and then minibus to Nile Cruise boat. Lunch. Back into Luxor to look around Bazaar. I bought a tacky "Galibia" (traditional man dress), a Yassa Arafat head scarf and some statues. Haggled lots. Minibus back to boat. Boat heads off Southwards down Nile. Dinner, drinks, bed.

Our hot air balloon fills up	Loads of balloons!
Sunrise over the Nile


Me and a donkey!	Valley of the Kings

Nov 6th: Edfu and Kom Ombo:

Up at 6.30am. Breakfast. The cruise boat docks. Minibus to Edfu temple. It's more complete and impressive than Karnac. Back to boat for lunch. Up on sun deck as boat leaves Edfu. Lunch. Chill out and sleep. Tea on deck. Arrive at ruined temple of Kom Ombo. Board boat which sets off again. Shower then dinner onboard. Gallibia fancy dress party in bar on boat, which is a right laugh. Boat arrives at Aswan. Bed.

Edfu temple...	Dedicated to Horus... I seemed to pick up the nickname Horus during the trip... I don't see the resemblance myself!
Nile cruise.	"Habibi" group outside Kom Ombo temple.
Pillars of Kom Ombo	Horus and Isis

Nov 7th: Aswan:

Breakfast on boat. Walk from boat into Aswan and explore Bazaar. It's more laid back this far South. Lunch. Get a Ferry to West bank and have a Camel ride across the desert. Get a ferry back to cruise boat. Dinner. Minibus to a ferry. Get a night ferry trip across Lake Nasser with a view of the Aswan Dam to the Philae temple for a sound and light show. Ferry back to minibus. Back to cruise ship where there's a show by Nubian dancers. Early night.

Our cruise boat.	Aswan bazaar.
Feluccas, the Nile and the desert beyond	Camels
I rode one of these!	Tourism policeman texting, with his AK47 strapped to the back of his camel!
Nile sunset	Philae temple at night from the ferry

Nov 8th: Abu Simbel and Nubian dinner:

Up at 3.30am. Ouch! Check out of cruise boat. Get a 3 hour coach ride to Abu Simbel to see giant statues of Ramesses and Nefatari on the banks of the 500km artificial, Lake Nasser. Look inside and around statues. Back to Aswan by coach and cross Aswan Dam on the way back. Check into a new hotel in Aswan. Got pizza in. Chilled and slept. Ferry ride across Nile for dinner on the roof of a Nubian family's house in a Nubian village. Ferry ride back. Beers in Hotel and then bed.

Abu Simbel and the statues of Queen Nefatari	The statues of Ramesses II at 4 stages in his life
They're big!	Both sets of statues on the bank of lake Nasser
500km of Lake Nasser	Evening meal on roof of Nubian house in Nubian village West bank of Aswan

Nov 9th: Aswan and Felucca ride:

Up at 8am. Look at Bazaar and shops. Back to Hotel. Board a Felucca sailing boat and sail up and down Nile and have beers and lunch on board. Back on shore and walk around Aswan back streets and Nile front. Chill out back at Hotel. Dinner and then Minibus to train station. 12 hour train trip back to Cairo from Aswan.

Beer on a Felucca	The Nile
The desert
Old Cataract... the Hotel in which Agatha Christie wrote "Death on the Nile"	Our flags

Nov 10th: Cairo:

Arrive in Cairo at 8am. Minibus from train station back to the King Hotel we started in. Walk to Egyptian museum. Back to the hotel for a kip. Buy gifts in hotel shop. Minibus trip to Cairo suburbs for our groups final meal together. Minibus back to Hotel for drinks on roof.

A smoggy Cairo	The Nile at Cairo
Cairo Museum.. which includes King Tut's mask, coffin and artifacts.

Nov 11th:

Up early for breakfast. Chill out. Get plane back, change at Frankfurt again. Get home at 1am and am back into work the next day!!

Facts:

I've been on Camels, Donkeys (at a canter!), Horse and carts, a cruise ship, a Felucca (sailing boat), trains, taxis, coaches, minibuses, ferries... and a Hot Air Balloon. I've traveled a couple of thousand miles from Cairo to 30 miles from the Sudanese border... and then back again. Temperatures ranged from mid 70's to easily the mid 90's in the South. I've seen enough temples, pyramids, statues and hieroglyphs to last me a life time. :-)